Today (November 11), Indian Navy Ship Tabar on piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden has successfully prevented a piracy attack on M V Jag Arnav of Great Eastern Shipping Company.

Some of the interesting features of the operation are:

When M V Jag Arnav, 38,265-tonne dry bulk carrier was about 60 nautical miles off east of Aden, noticed (around 1030 hours local time) pirates armed with automatic weapons approaching the vessel on speed boats. The vessel raised an alarm.

INS Tabar some 25 nautical miles away from the merchant vessel immediately launched an armed helicopter with marine commandos to intervene and prevent the pirates from boarding and hijacking the merchant vessel.

The attempt by the pirates to hijack the vessel was successfully foiled by marine commandos of INS Tabar. There after INS Tabar moved closer to the vessel to escort her safely.

INS Tabar, the third Talwar class Frigate of Indian Navy was built in Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg and was commissioned at Baitiysk (Kaliningrad) on April 19, 2004.

Here are some details on M V Jag Arnav from Great Eastern Shipping Company.

It is coming to light that the Saudi flagged MV NCC Thihama was also under piracy threat around the same time and INS Tabar’s timely action has saved Saudi vessel also from pirates. Read more from DDI News.

Update: November 14

Amazing photographs of INS Tabar escorting MV Jag Arnav are at Live Fist.

Update: November 19

On the evening of November 18, about 285 nautical miles south west of Salalah (Oman), INS Tabar noticed a pirate vessel similar to the ‘Mother Ship’ of Somali pirates with two speed boats in tow. When INS Tabar closed in and asked the vessel to stop for investigation, the pirates with guns and Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers threatened to blow up INS Tabar and started firing on INS Tabar.

INS Tabar returned fire in self defence and fire broke out on the pirate vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the pirate vessel. Subsequently the ‘Mother Ship’ sank. Same time, the two speed boats on tow tried to escape. INS Tabar chased the first boat and later it was found to be abandoned. The second boat escaped into darkness.

Indian Navy is planning to deploy a Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft to identify Somali pirates in Gulf of Aden. The aircraft may be stationed in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, where the French have a huge military base. The armed aircraft will add muscle to the operations of the stealth frigate INS Tabar and act as a major force multiplier. Read more from Indian Express.

The Indian Navy has now been authorized for “hot pursuit” of pirates into Somalian waters. Also a Delhi class destroyer is expected to join INS Tabar very soon in Gulf of Aden. Read more from Hindustan Times.

Update: November 22

On November 21, National Shipping Board, an apex advisory body to India’s Ministry of Shipping, has sought a more proactive piracy patrolling by the Indian Navy in the Gulf of Aden. Here is an interesting video clip from Videos from India.

Update: November 25

Here are some amazing photographs from Live Fist of INS Tabar’s firing and sinking of Somali pirates ‘Mother Ship’. INS Tabar is commanded by Captain Pradyut K Banerjee.

Update: November 26

Now there is a twist to INS Tabar’s attack on Somali pirates mother ship. A Thai ship-owner on November 25, has complained that one of his fishing trawlers was missing along with 14 sailors. He claimed it was his ship that Indian Navy’s INS Tabar sunk last week as a suspected pirate ship. Read more from The Times of India.

The International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur is also of the opinion that the vessel sunk by INS Tabar was a Thai fishing trawler. Read more from The Seattle Times.